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I've been meaning to bring this up for a while now. I've been a football fan for years, since I was a kid actually.

I've been training in Aikido for about a year now (off and on), and during football season, I couldn't help but wonder how Aikido training might help Defensive Linemen get to the Quarterback more efficiently. Or, help Offensive Linemen protect the QB a little better.

Obviously, an OL wouldn't be able to perform Iriminage, Ikkyo, Nikkyo, Sankyo etc, Shihonage or Kotegaeshi or any other technique which may require grabbing, pinning or controlling the opponents' players as one would have to train in specific techniques that would effectively redirect DL without risking a "holding" penalty. Maybe some variation of Kokyu?? As far as I know, it's not against the rules for a player to be knocked down in football. At the same time, a well timed tenkan or kokyu, or even a forward roll might help a DL get past an OL. The quarterback may benefit from a little tenkan and kokyu techniques too, no??
hmmmm. What do you guys think???

There was a game where a hardnosed DL banged up the Titans main QB. Then the replacement QB (nicknamed 'Sunshine') allowed the same DL to slip through their line and charge him. Lo and behold, I saw him perform a beautiful koshinage against the guy, which put him out for the rest of the game.

I too found myself wondering about the applications of aikido to American football while watching that movie. Not being an American, I don't have any firsthand experience of football. Maybe people who've done both could comment?

In one of my law school classes, I mentioned I practice aikido. So to explain it to them I said that we use the attackers momentum and strenth against. And I then explained if someone was running after you can step in and turn to deflect them and send them flying. One of my fellow classmate, a former linebacker for Auburn, said, "like a linebacker in football." I said, "that's exactly it."

So there is aiki is football, but I agree it would be interesting to see a bunch of football players doing shikko. Or it would be more interesting to see my sempai (4'9" female sandan) throwing these guys.